High pressure hurdle for Joyon

Weather system acts unfavourably against flying Frenchman

Position at 10:15: 20deg 03.00N 34deg 24.00W
Distance sailed: 24815.24 nautical miles
Speed/course: 7.95 knots / 001°

Slower progress again over the last 24 hours for Francis Joyon who in the last 26 hours has covered 250 miles. Currently 550 miles to the WNW of the Cape Verdes overnight Joyon has seen the light 10 knots breeze shift round from the east to the south east.

Since our very favourable forecast yesterday the weather situation has developed in a less favourable way. The high pressure system situated to the north of the Canaries is now in the process of establishing itself over a west-east axis right across the race course immediately of ahead of Joyon. This is likely to leave Joyon becalmed at times today, but when he breaks through he will get into favourable winds and these will build the further north he sails. The north Atlantic high so far south, the reach of the depressions usually tracked to the north of the high are further south and Joyon should still be able to use the strong favourable winds on the south side of these to propel him at speed towards the finish line.

However his slow progress today will have some bearing on his ETA in Brest.

"I’ve been in the Trades for three days and it’s really been slamming hard... It’s eased up a bit now but I’m making less headway so I don’t know if I should be happy about that," commented Joyon yesterday. "I should keep hold of another long day of trade winds in theory which is likely to be linked to a slight temporary lull. After that I’ll get to the transition zone with westerly winds that look like they’re going to be difficult to
negotiate. For now I’m toying between the Solent and the small gennaker. I’m
holding off for a little so that I make the right choice! According to my wind files there’s going to be two days of light conditions but still... sometimes the forecast is wrong! It says that the winds will descend to 5 knots and even drop off to nothing at all according to my data – That’ll make a big rupture between the trades in the north-east and the winds that are in the south-west. There’s not really any liaison between them. In reality there often seems to be some sort of link though so I’m not worried about it too much."

"The light conditions are more time-consuming but at the same time the movements of the boat are not tiring. In the trades, upwind, there aren’t a lot of manoeuvres, but the boat slams a lot and you just get thrashed around permanently. You notice that you are tired even though you’re not doing anything which is just extraordinary! You say to yourself 'I must go and get something two metres away', and that alone must nibble away at least 200 calories... You really have to hold on everywhere, otherwise you get thrown around and could easily injure yourself".

"I’ve got some wind files which go as far up as Brittany and I’m beginning to look at those... effectively the situation is not bad in so far as the wind remains in the west for eight days which is rather good. I’m not the kind of person to count my chickens before they’ve hatched though. I know there are still a lot of obstacles to get over between the risks of collision with cargo ships, the bad weather zone to be crossed before the finish... but I’m happy to be getting there!

"If you said to me that I’d have to set out again straight away I wouldn’t agree to it! When you do a Transat you’re already strangely happy to finish, so with this the feeling is intensified. I’ve seen amongst the messages that have been forwarded to me that a number of people that I think a great deal of have been following my progress. That makes me happy. What counts most of all is my family and friends. I’m not saying that the others aren’t important, but that’s not what guides my life. Last night I slept for four straight hours. That’s much too much. All of sudden you find yourself almost comatose when you wake up! It’s common knowledge when you’re sailing that the more you
sleep the more tired you feel."

With thanks to Kate Jennings for translating these quotes